Its easy to forget that Fox Gnews only gets 2 and a half million viewers on a good night. That's minuscule. That's why Dumps numbers continue to stay low no matter what amount of lipstick they try to polish the pig with. Fox is just one part of a very big propaganda machine, aimed right at a certain type of voter, and designed to lock down that small percent. People that will shout down anyone else who says something different in the pub or workplace and thereby suppress people sharing ideas.

What you do is go out and start persuading. Reach those people who nodded their heads at Hillary's "deplorable" comment, but did not care enough either way to consider voting the other way as those loud obnoxious asswipes that they privately seethe at, nor to fuck over that corrupt pig that has been elected since the reign of Methuselah and yet does fuck all for them. That's the lesson that Kansas taught at the last election. You don't have to persuade everyone, you just have to persuade some in rural areas and you win seats. You have to listen and you have to talk. People in rural area have legitimate grieviances, but they need to be shown that voting Dem will make a difference.

It worked in Kansas, and it will definitely work across the country. Give people permission to think. "yes they are a basket of deplorables, and I can tell them fuck right off, because the Dems have my back."

Seven in 10 Americans think that political tensions have reached a dangerously low point in the U.S., and many see the situation as a "new normal" for the country rather than a fleeting trend, according to a new poll released Saturday.

The Washington Post-University of Maryland survey paints a bleak picture of how Americans view the current political situation. A large majority of respondents – 70 percent – say that political divisions are at least as big as they were during the Vietnam War, a period remembered for its intense social and political upheaval.

That number was even bigger among individuals 65 and older – people who were adults during the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War.

At the same time, Americans' views of politicians' ethics and honesty have reached at least a 30-year low, according to the poll. Just 14 percent view politicians' ethics as excellent or good. That number was 25 percent in 1997 and 39 percent in 1987.

Pride in how the United States' democracy works is also eroding quickly. In the past three years, the poll found, the number of Americans who are not proud of how the country's democracy is functioning has doubled from 18 percent in 2014 to 36 percent today.

Even a sizable number – 25 percent – of President Trump's supporters say they are not proud of how U.S. democracy is working under his administration.

A majority of U.S. military officers have an unfavorable view of President Trump, according to a survey released this week by the Military Times.

According to the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they hold an unfavorable opinion of the commander in chief, while about 31 percent said they view him favorably. Sixteen percent said they were neutral on the matter. .

They ought to see him unfavorable for his incompetence in military strategy.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, released Sunday, found that just 38 percent of Americans approve of the president's performance, his lowest rating since taking office, with 58 percent expressing disapproval.

The drop has come from independent voters, whose approval declined from 41 percent last month to 34 percent now. The pollsters reported that Trump's numbers are the lowest rating for a modern president, as Barack Obama (51 percent), George W. Bush (88 percent) and Bill Clinton (47 percent) all had higher numbers in the first fall after they won the White House. Trump's previous low in this poll was 38 percent, which came in May.

Between the past two surveys, Trump's handling of a number of issues has left him the subject of scorching criticism, sometimes from his own party. A majority of respondents expressed disapproval of the president's handling of the NFL national anthem player protests (59 percent), health care (57 percent), the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico (54 percent) and the situation in North Korea (51 percent).

Fifty-three percent of respondents disapproved of Trump's role as commander in chief, a reaction that comes after Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, doubled down on his critiques of the president's stability and added that Trump was "debasing the nation."

PPP’s newest national poll finds a record level of support for impeaching Donald Trump. 49% of voters support impeaching him, to 41% who are opposed to doing so. This marks the 6th month in a row we’ve found a plurality of voters in favor of impeaching Trump, and it’s the closest we’ve found to a majority.

Trump’s approval rating has declined by a net 7 points in the last month. In September we found him at a -11 spread with 42% of voters approving of him to 53% who disapproved. Now he’s at -18 with 38% of voters approving of him to 56% who disapprove.

Trump claimed last week that he had accomplished more in 9 months than any President in American History, but only 25% of voters believe that claim to 66% who do not, although it’s a notable measure of the ‘Trump cult’ that 55% of those who voted for him do believe he’s the most accomplished to 32% who disagree. Voters actually put his first 9 months in a very different historical context- 49% already say they think he’s the worst President in American History, to 43% who dispute that notion. By a 54/40 margin voters wish Barack Obama was still President instead of Trump, and by a 48/42 spread they wish Hillary Clinton was in the White House rather than Trump.

Trump fares poorly on a number of metrics we tested in the poll. Only 37% of voters think he’s honest, to 56% who say he’s not. In fact a 52% majority come right out and say they think Trump is a liar, to 41% who disagree with that characterization. There are continued transparency concerns, with 60% of voters thinking he needs to release his tax returns to just 32% who don’t think it’s necessary for him to. And only 31% of voters think Trump has delivered on the core promise of his campaign to ‘Make America Great Again,’ to 60% who say he’s failed on that front.

Nearly 80 percent of Trump voters said they think the president should stay in office even if collusion is proven between his campaign and Russia, according to a survey released Tuesday, even while support among all voters for his impeachment hits a new high.

According to a new poll from the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling, 79 percent of people who voted for President Trump say he should remain even if collusion is proven, and 75 percent said the entire Russia story is “fake news."

The poll was conducted before the indictments of former campaign officials Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were released, and before the documents showing former campaign aide George Papadopoulos’s guilty plea were unsealed.

In keeping with the Halloween spirit, the poll also found that Americans say that Trump is scarier than ghosts, vampires, witches, mummies, zombies and werewolves — but not scarier than the Devil.

More than twice as many Americans approve as disapprove of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of possible coordination between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds, indicating that the conservative effort to discredit the probe has fallen flat as the case has progressed toward its first public charges.

A 58 percent majority say they approve of Mueller’s handling of the investigation while 28 percent say they disapprove, the Post-ABC poll finds. People’s views depend in large part on their political leanings, but overall, Americans are generally inclined to trust Mueller and the case he has made so far.

Meanwhile, fewer than 4 in 10 Americans say they believe Trump is cooperating with Mueller’s investigation, while about half believe he is not.

A similar 49 percent think it is likely Trump himself committed a crime in connection with possible Russian attempts to influence the election, though more say this view is based on suspicion rather than hard evidence.

A year after his surprise election, 65 percent say Trump's achieved little (POLL)

A year after his surprise election victory, President Donald Trump is underperforming expectations and lagging behind his predecessors, with the lowest job approval of any postwar president at this point in office, broad distrust across a range of issues and majority belief that he’s not delivering on his campaign promises.

Yet for all his shortcomings, Trump runs a dead heat with Hillary Clinton among 2016 voters in a hypothetical rematch in this ABC News/Washington Post poll, underscoring Clinton’s own enduring unpopularity. Ninety-one percent of Trump voters say they’d support him again (albeit down from 96 percent in April). And marking a still-struggling opposition, 61 percent of Americans say Democratic leaders are mainly criticizing Trump, not presenting alternatives.

Democratic disarray, though, doesn’t negate Trump’s own challenges. Just 37 percent of Americans approve of his job performance, the lowest for any president at nine months in office in polling dating to 1946. Fifty-nine percent disapprove, numerically a new high for this president, but essentially unchanged since summer. Half disapprove “strongly,” another high -- twice as many as strongly approve. ...

Declines from expectations of Trump last January to his performance ratings now are broadly based, but steepest in a few groups. In the biggest shortfall, 66 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds expected him to do an excellent or good job handling the economy; just 34 percent say that’s now occurring. He’s also underperforming economic expectations by 25 points among independents, 23 points among suburbanites and 16 points among college-educated white women. ...

The president’s difficulties also are reflected in comparison with the election. Most strikingly, he won 81 percent of conservative voters a year ago -- but has just 63 percent approval from conservatives now, a career low. Trump won 61 percent support from working-class white women, versus approval from just 46 percent in this group now. His approval rating lags his 2016 vote share among political independents by 13 points, among men by 12 points and among whites by 11 points.

As the one-year anniversary of his election approaches Wednesday, Trump still scores a perfect approval rating among these voters, but with some caveats. Not one person in the group says he or she would change their vote in 2016, if given the chance. They tend to dismiss the escalating investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s election, and the possibility that Trump associates colluded with Moscow, as just politics.

But they also express less confidence than before about whether Trump can deliver and more concern about his behavior.

In the first months of Trump’s presidency this year, as many as 13 of these voters predicted history would judge Trump to be a “great” president. That number now has dropped to seven.
Gray is one of a few on the panel who believe that the Russia investigations hold peril for the president.

“If these Russian contacts or whatever come through as collusion, then his ass is grass,” he says. He predicts there could be new and damaging revelations in the wake of the first criminal indictments announced last week by special counsel Robert Mueller, “when people start facing prison time.”

I guess it's at least comforting that more than one (a few) actually believe the Russia collusion would be a problem.

WASHINGTON (CNN)Donald Trump's approval rating stands at its lowest point in CNN's polling as concerns about contacts between Trump's presidential campaign and Russian operatives have grown sharply in the wake of the first indictments from the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the US election.

Overall, just 36% say they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, worse by one percentage point than Trump's previous low of 37%, reached in October. Disapproval has also reached a new high at 58%, with nearly half (48%) saying they strongly disapprove of the way the President is handling his job.

More Americans than ever before express concern about contacts between suspected Russian operatives and Trump's presidential campaign. Forty-four percent say they are "very concerned" about those reports, up from just 27% saying so in July, shortly after news broke about a meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump, Jr. Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer, among others.

The new poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday, following the announcement last week of indictments against Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, and his associate, Rick Gates, as well as news that a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign had pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI after he lied about his interactions with foreign officials close to the Russian government.

American voters disapprove 58 – 35 percent of the job President Donald Trump is doing, near his lowest score, a 61 – 33 percent disapproval August 2, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

Today’s approval rating compares to a 56 – 38 percent disapproval in an October 11
survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.

In a new low for this measure, only 40 percent of American voters say Trump is fit to
serve as president, while 57 percent say he is not fit.

American voters disapprove 79 – 15 percent, including 60 – 32 percent among
Republicans, of the way Republicans in Congress are doing their job. Disapproval is
overwhelming among every party, gender, education, age and racial group listed.

This shows the overwhelming political ignorance of the American populace. What the hell do they think the Democrats in Congress can do, when they're so totally outvoted? Does the general public realize the relationship between how they vote and what happens in Congress? No, they don't. That's why they vote Republican, or don't vote at all, and then blame the minority party for not having the numbers to govern effectively.

If they disapprove of the jobs the minority party in Congress is doing, the solution is to provide them with the means to accomplish more. The only means is to elect more representatives of that party, and the only people responsible for making that happen are the voters.

I disapprove of the job the minority is doing. I don't give a flying f--- that they lack the power to get legislation passed; I want to see them trying more anyway. I like much of the Better Deal platform, but where's the legislative language? Have they introduced bills? (I just looked at the official House Dems page - lots of press releases and fact sheets, not so much on links to introduced legislation.

I don't just want them opposing the Republicans; I want them opposing the Republicans with something - with a competing plan, a real, concrete, can-be-scored-by-the-CBO plan. I don't want them just saying that the Republicans want to cut taxes for millionaires, I want them putting out their plan for side-by-side comparison. I want them demanding votes on that plan (they won't get them, of course). I want the candidates running in 2018 to be able to point to legislation that will help real people that's stalled in committee, and talk about how fast it can be passed if the Democrats retake Congress.

"I don't give a fuck whether we're peers or not."
--Lord Thomas Henry Bingham to Boris Johnson, on being asked whether he would miss being in "the best club in London" if the Law Lords moved from Parliament to a Supreme Court.

I disapprove of the job the minority is doing. I don't give a flying f--- that they lack the power to get legislation passed; I want to see them trying more anyway. I like much of the Better Deal platform, but where's the legislative language? Have they introduced bills? (I just looked at the official House Dems page - lots of press releases and fact sheets, not so much on links to introduced legislation.

I don't just want them opposing the Republicans; I want them opposing the Republicans with something - with a competing plan, a real, concrete, can-be-scored-by-the-CBO plan. I don't want them just saying that the Republicans want to cut taxes for millionaires, I want them putting out their plan for side-by-side comparison. I want them demanding votes on that plan (they won't get them, of course). I want the candidates running in 2018 to be able to point to legislation that will help real people that's stalled in committee, and talk about how fast it can be passed if the Democrats retake Congress.

I'm with Mike on this one. It's good they are at least sticking together but they ought to be introducing bills.

They also ought to be using the discharge petition process to go on the record. I'd start with raising the minimum wage, get every Dem to sign a discharge petition and then use it to shame the republicans. Then do the same with a basic health care fix and a fix for the gunshow loophole.

I disapprove of the job the minority is doing. I don't give a flying f--- that they lack the power to get legislation passed; I want to see them trying more anyway. I like much of the Better Deal platform, but where's the legislative language? Have they introduced bills? (I just looked at the official House Dems page - lots of press releases and fact sheets, not so much on links to introduced legislation.

I don't just want them opposing the Republicans; I want them opposing the Republicans with something - with a competing plan, a real, concrete, can-be-scored-by-the-CBO plan. I don't want them just saying that the Republicans want to cut taxes for millionaires, I want them putting out their plan for side-by-side comparison. I want them demanding votes on that plan (they won't get them, of course). I want the candidates running in 2018 to be able to point to legislation that will help real people that's stalled in committee, and talk about how fast it can be passed if the Democrats retake Congress.

Thanks Mike! I’ve been saying the same thing, although nowhere near as eloquently or concisely (if brevity is the soul of wit, then I think we all know I’ve got a lot of work to do to be a halfwit). If the Democrats had embraced this advice sincerely and whole-heartedly since Obamacare passed then I think we would be in the middle of a 16-year Obama/Clinton golden age right now. I don’t think we can ignore the Democratic failure to produce proposed policy and legislation to implement it. In light of the Republican failure with Obamacare it is unacceptable for the Democrats to continue making the exact same mistake.

I agree that Dems putting forth real legislation to show 'what could be' is a good idea.

I'm just concerned that the Dems would put forth glitter and unicorn farts which would do more harm than good.

I want a level playing field where ideas and candidates are judged on their merits. If the Democrats do what Mike suggests, they would likely win on the merits most of the time, but, if they give us glitter farting unicorns as you suggest, then they will get what they deserve.

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."
---Sun Tzu (quoting Thomas Jefferson)nam-myoho-renge-kyo---Thomas Jefferson (quoting Slartibartfast)

I disapprove of the job the minority is doing. I don't give a flying f--- that they lack the power to get legislation passed; I want to see them trying more anyway. I like much of the Better Deal platform, but where's the legislative language? Have they introduced bills? (I just looked at the official House Dems page - lots of press releases and fact sheets, not so much on links to introduced legislation.

I don't just want them opposing the Republicans; I want them opposing the Republicans with something - with a competing plan, a real, concrete, can-be-scored-by-the-CBO plan. I don't want them just saying that the Republicans want to cut taxes for millionaires, I want them putting out their plan for side-by-side comparison. I want them demanding votes on that plan (they won't get them, of course). I want the candidates running in 2018 to be able to point to legislation that will help real people that's stalled in committee, and talk about how fast it can be passed if the Democrats retake Congress.

I disapprove of the job the minority is doing. I don't give a flying f--- that they lack the power to get legislation passed; I want to see them trying more anyway. I like much of the Better Deal platform, but where's the legislative language? Have they introduced bills? (I just looked at the official House Dems page - lots of press releases and fact sheets, not so much on links to introduced legislation.

I don't just want them opposing the Republicans; I want them opposing the Republicans with something - with a competing plan, a real, concrete, can-be-scored-by-the-CBO plan. I don't want them just saying that the Republicans want to cut taxes for millionaires, I want them putting out their plan for side-by-side comparison. I want them demanding votes on that plan (they won't get them, of course). I want the candidates running in 2018 to be able to point to legislation that will help real people that's stalled in committee, and talk about how fast it can be passed if the Democrats retake Congress.

Please send that to Perez.

Don't be like the Republicans, who had 8 years to tell us about their great health care legislation, then didn't even have a draft when they came to power, let alone a strategy supported by tactics.

I disapprove of the job the minority is doing. I don't give a flying f--- that they lack the power to get legislation passed; I want to see them trying more anyway. I like much of the Better Deal platform, but where's the legislative language? Have they introduced bills? (I just looked at the official House Dems page - lots of press releases and fact sheets, not so much on links to introduced legislation.

I don't just want them opposing the Republicans; I want them opposing the Republicans with something - with a competing plan, a real, concrete, can-be-scored-by-the-CBO plan. I don't want them just saying that the Republicans want to cut taxes for millionaires, I want them putting out their plan for side-by-side comparison. I want them demanding votes on that plan (they won't get them, of course). I want the candidates running in 2018 to be able to point to legislation that will help real people that's stalled in committee, and talk about how fast it can be passed if the Democrats retake Congress.

Please send that to Perez.

Don't be like the Republicans, who had 8 years to tell us about their great health care legislation, then didn't even have a draft when they came to power, let alone a strategy supported by tactics.

Not just Perez. Every Democratic leader and everyone that has run for, held, or wants to run for office as a Democrat should write that on the blackboard 1,000 times.

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."
---Sun Tzu (quoting Thomas Jefferson)nam-myoho-renge-kyo---Thomas Jefferson (quoting Slartibartfast)

Mike's view clearly gets some serious Fogbow support! In a way, doing what he suggests could by (mis?)represented as grandstanding, but, heck, opposition politics is largely that of necessity.

An additional useful advantage of putting bills out in a coordinated manner is that it forces the party to produce a suite of coherent, defensible policies rather than something that might look like a wish list.